Madara Uchiha (うちはマダラ, Uchiha Madara) was the legendary leader of the Uchiha clan. He founded Konohagakure alongside his rival, Hashirama Senju, with the intention of beginning an era of peace. When the two couldn't agree on how to achieve that peace, they fought for control of the village, a conflict which ended in Madara's death. Madara, however, rewrote his death and went into hiding to work on his own plans. Unable to complete it in his natural life, he entrusted his knowledge and plans to Obito Uchiha shortly before his actual death. Years later, Madara would be revived, only to see his plans foiled before his final death.

Contents

Background

Madara as a child.

Madara was born during the Warring States Period, and was the eldest of Tajima Uchiha's five sons.[6] Madara and his brothers grew up on the battlefield waging constant war with the Uchiha's rivals: the Senju. Three of his brothers died young, leaving Madara with only his younger brother, Izuna. Madara and Izuna became very close through their shared loss and constantly competed with each other to get stronger.[7] This, combined with his naturally strong chakra, enabled the young Madara to defeat adult Senju in battle and develop a reputation as a genius.[8]

During his infrequent downtime, Madara met a boy his own age named Hashirama. The two quickly developed a friendly rivalry, be it skipping stones or urinating in rivers. Like Madara, Hashirama was also a shinobi who had lost his brothers on the battlefield. Together they imagined a world where children like themselves wouldn't need to fight.[9] As a precaution, Madara and Hashirama did not divulge their family names, but nevertheless discovered each other's identities: Madara was an Uchiha, Hashirama was a Senju; it was their duty to kill each other, even if they were friends. Needing to choose between his family and his dreams of peace, Madara chose to end his friendship with Hashirama so he would have no reservations over killing him in the future, a resolve strong enough to awaken his Sharingan.[10]

Madara and Hashirama clash on the battlefield.

Over the following years Madara and Hashirama continued to meet in combat. Madara could never defeat Hashirama — even after acquiring a Mangekyō Sharingan — and Hashirama could never bring himself to kill someone he still considered a friend, resulting in a constant stalemate between the two that lasted decades. In time, both Madara and Hashirama became leaders of their respective clans, a position Hashirama tried to use to broker peace between them.[11] Although some Uchiha found the offer increasingly tempting, Madara refused due to Izuna's death at the hands of Hashirama's own brother, Tobirama. Despite this, some Uchiha defected over to the Senju clan out of self-preservation. Madara then used Izuna's eyes in order to gain "eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan and restore his deteriorating vision. With this new power he waged one final assault against the Senju and was summarily defeated. Rather than kill Madara to bring the era of war to an end, Hashirama offered to kill himself if it would stop the fighting. Madara was moved by Hashirama's gesture and finally assented to peace.[12]

Konohagakure is formed.

The Senju, the Uchiha, and all their affiliated clans came together to found a village of peace, where children would never need to die in battle. Madara and Hashirama, rekindling their childhood friendship, and Madara called that village Konohagakure, seeing it through leaves.[13] But Madara's idea of peace differed from Hashirama's: where Hashirama envisioned cooperation with the other newly-formed villages, Madara desired control so the peace could never be lost, evidenced by his attacking Iwagakure's Mū and Ōnoki so that they would submit to Konoha's authority.[14] When Hashirama was elected as Hokage, Konoha's leader, Madara also became concerned for the Uchiha's future, believing this to be but the first step in the Senju's dominance.[15]

Madara with the Nine-Tails battling Hashirama

The Stone Tablet had been in the Uchiha's possession for generations and was brought with them when they settled in Konoha. Through careful study, Madara was able to decipher enough of it to learn of the history of shinobi: of the endless cycle of failed peace and the destiny of battle between Uchiha and Senju, but also a means of unity for the world.[16] With this knowledge, Madara decided Konoha was a failed experiment. He tried to convince his own clan and even Hashirama of the same conclusion, but none would hear him.[17] Madara chose to abandon the village, returning with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox under his control to challenge Hashirama.[18] They fought to exhaustion, and from the carnage of their battle the Valley of the End was formed.[19] In the end, Madara was killed by Hashirama.[20]

An elderly Madara awakens the Rinnegan.

News of Madara's death spread fast and his corpse was secretly hidden to keep anyone from finding it and profiting from it. But Madara had planned ahead: he had scheduled an Izanagi to activate sometime after his death, changing reality to bring him back to life in exchange for his right eye's vision. He left a copy in place of his real body and went into hiding with a special trophy from his fight with Hashirama: a mouthful of Hashirama's flesh that he transplanted into his wounds. It was not until decades later, towards the end of Madara's natural life, that the cells had any effect, awakening the Rinnegan (in the process restoring his right eye). With the Rinnegan he was able to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which he used to cultivate a mindless living clone of Hashirama from which he believed he had produced a White Zetsu Army.[21]

Over the years, Madara had perfected his plans for peace in what he called the Eye of the Moon Plan. But as his years waned, Madara knew he couldn't complete his plans in the time he had left. So he transplanted his Rinnegan into a young Nagato without the boy's knowing,[21] intending Nagato to someday use the eyes to restore Madara to life. If Nagato was to do this, however, Madara would need an agent to act on his behalf and guide Nagato towards this ultimate goal. Madara waited, connecting himself to Demonic Statue to keep him alive until someone could be found.[22] Madara spent this time keeping a close eye on Konoha to find a suitable pawn to take his place.

Madara meeting Obito Uchiha.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Madara found a badly injured Obito Uchiha. Madara used Hashirama's cells to replace Obito's damaged extremities and placed a Forbidden Individual Curse Tag in Obito's heart as a fail-safe in case Obito ever turned against him. Until then, Madara began working towards corrupting Obito. He had Kirigakure kidnap the girl Obito loved, Rin Nohara, and seal the Three-Tails into her. He then manipulated events so that Rin would die at the hand of Obito's friend, Kakashi Hatake, while Obito watched.[23] Driven to despair, Obito offered his services to Madara. Madara divulged to Obito the history of the Sage of the Six Paths and the Ten-Tails, the details of his Eye of the Moon Plan, and various techniques that Obito would need moving forward. As a final act, he left behind Black Zetsu — what he believed to be a manifestation of his will — to provide additional guidance to Obito in pursuit of this goal. With that, Madara disconnected from the Demonic Statue and, with his dying breath, entrusted Obito with his name: Madara Uchiha.[24]

Personality

The childhood dynamics between Madara and Hashirama.

Madara's childhood was a product of the times he lived in: the constant fighting made him a perfectionist that would keep at something until he mastered it, and his triumphs on the battlefield made him very confident in his abilities and talent.[25] Whenever one of these personality traits was challenged, as they tended to be by Hashirama, Madara's competitive streak would emerge. Madara did not mind Hashirama's influence in this regard; he believed that the only way to survive in the shinobi world was to make allies with one's enemies.[26] His exposure to Hashirama is credited for Madara not experiencing the Uchiha's "Curse of Hatred" or at the very least, not being victimised by it as much as Izuna was and even though he claimed to have abandoned his friendship with Hashirama, Madara still held onto their friendship subconsciously.[27] Madara's actions and beliefs were singularly focused on protecting Izuna, his only surviving brother.[28] So long as he had Izuna, Madara was reasonable and kind, willing to make concessions for a perceived greater good.[29]

Madara's descent into darkness.

Madara changed after Izuna's death, becoming bitter towards the Senju, particularly Hashirama since he still had a brother. Embracing his clan's Curse of Hatred, he opted to die for revenge rather than compromise or forgive.[30] Although he was briefly convinced to set aside his grief and try to replace Izuna with the collective family of Konoha, he could never shake the feeling that he was betraying Izuna's memory. The increasing isolation of himself and other Uchiha from village politics ultimately convinced him of this, causing him to fully break with any other attachments.

During his time as a Konoha shinobi, Madara did what he thought was in the village's best interests. Unlike Hashirama's compassionate methods, Madara took a merciless approach: the shinobi of Iwagakure only had purpose so long as they swore unwavering allegiance to Konoha.[31] Since their methods were so different, Madara hated to hear Hashirama's name during diplomatic discussions.[31][32]. After his defection from Konoha, Madara's priorities became centred around the Eye of the Moon Plan, manipulating countless others in order to satisfy his own goals and putting in place multiple layers of contingencies so that nobody could ever diverge from his own intentions. Despite this, Madara genuinely believed this plan would in fact, benefit the world and simply followed an "ends justifies the means" principle.

As he valued only power and possessed so much of it, Madara therefore disliked to waste it on unworthy causes or unchallenging opponents, claiming disgust when he was forced to.[33]

Madara loved fighting above all else: the sights, the sounds, even the taste of his own blood;[34] he felt being reincarnated deprived him of the full experience. Yet he was very disciplined in a fight, never allowing his failed plans or attacks to upset him, never letting superior numbers or power intimidate him, and always willing to do whatever must be done to gain victory. Although he sometimes imposed limitations on himself, such as not using certain techniques more than once, he was willing to "lower" himself with unbecoming tactics or excessive displays in order to change tactics and exploit advantages. He was perfectly aware of his talents and did not feign modesty, bluntly stating when he was stronger than his opponents and belittling them when they continued to defy him. Conversely, if he was proven wrong or somebody posed a legitimate challenge to him, he would admit it, and apologise for previous remarks if necessary. In addition, if such an opponent is about to die, he would show them the ultimate respect by taking the time and effort to finish them off himself, even if said person is going to die on their own.[35] Stemming from this, he feels insulted if he knows an opponent isn't using their full power against him, even if he knows it will result in their death.[36] He also held the Senju to a higher standard in terms of power due to his encounters with Hashirama, stating a weak Senju disgusts him more than a weak shinobi of any kind.

Madara's reaction after sensing Hashirama's chakra.

One of the exceptions Madara makes was Hashirama. Their years of rivalry left Madara with competing feelings of respect and resentment for Hashirama. Madara considered Hashirama the only opponent worthy of his time and would postpone his own plans if it meant prolonging his time to fight with Hashirama without issue.[37] Despite this, Madara is quite open-minded about recognising other strong individuals besides Hashirama, as when he declares Might Guy as the strongest taijutsu user he's ever faced.[38]

In later years of developing his Eye of the Moon Plan, Madara became pessimistic about human nature, believing the cycle of battle to be inescapable.[39] He also came to believe that humanity and the world are incapable of changing from what they were in the past.[40] He believed the current, "worthless" reality was built too much on the idea of winning and losing. For this reason he was deeply committed to his plan, so much that he would prematurely end a fight he was enjoying or kill any threat, even, reluctantly, his ownclansmen, for the sake of its success. Despite this, Madara was simply acting on what he believed would benefit humanity as a whole. His plan's ultimate failure deeply depressed Madara, but it made him see its errors: breaking free of his Curse of Hatred, he regretted the mistakes he had made and admitted the superiority of Hashirama's methods for peace. He and Hashirama were thus able to reconcile in the moments of their friendship just before his death.

Appearance

Madara's appearance after Konoha's founding.

Madara was a fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair that had a slight blue tint to it. In his childhood, his hair was chin-length that parted to frame the sides of his face. His casual attire consisted of a blue long sleeve shirt and white pants. While on the battlefield he wore the standard Uchiha outfit: a black shirt with a high-collar left slightly open and the clan's crest on its back, with blue pants and bandages around his shins. Around his waist he had a white sash that held a sack, presumably containing his ninja tools.[7] Later, his sash was replaced by a belt, adorned with pouches and various weapons. He also wore another sash strapped across his shoulders which he used to hold his swords.[41]

As an adult, Madara had let his hair grow to waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, covering most of his right eye. He has several scars throughout his body.[42][43] Although still relatively young, more prominent creases had developed under each of his eyes. At times, he wore crimson armour with numerous metal plates, forming protective guards along his chest, waist, shoulders and thighs. Most of the time, however, he continued wearing the same basic Uchiha outfit: a blue high-collared, long sleeve mantle that splits down the lower half and a simple, light-brown obi and a belt.[44] During battle, he often carried an orange-brown gunbai which had a long black chain running up it. The anime also shows him wearing a metal belt, as well as a brown leather sash to hold some of his other weapons, and a pair of belt sashes to hold two of his swords.

In his old age, Madara became extremely worn and emaciated, with his hair turned thin and white, and lost all his teeth. He wore a simple black outfit and used his kama as a makeshift cane.[45][46] When Madara was reincarnated his body's youth was restored, albeit with the generic effect of gaining grey sclerae and minor cracks all over his body. These disappear once he is properly revived.

After becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, Madara had white hair (taupe in the Naruto: Colour Edition) and pale skin, and he became enveloped by a cloak of chakra that stabilised into physical clothing: a full-bodied black garment with black pants, gloves, and boots, over which he wore a flowing white robe with six black magatama markings across his chest and the familiar pattern of a black Rinnegan and nine black magatama markings in rows of three on his back. A grey horn-like protrusions grew out of his left temple and overlapped his forehead akin to a protector with an upward-curve on the right temple, giving him an overall appearance very similar to that of the Sage of the Six Paths. After absorbing the recreated Ten-Tails produced by Obito, Madara obtained additional black magatama markings around his sleeve cuffs and the rim of his robe. He reverts to his former appearance after the Ten-Tails is removed from his body.[47]

Chakra and Physical Prowess

Madara absorbing a restrained Hashirama's senjutsu chakra.

Madara was born with very powerful chakra,[41] described as very foul and evil by both the Nine-Tails and Tobirama Senju.[56][57] This is partly because he inherited Indra's chakra.[58] His large chakra reserves allowed him to fight nonstop for twenty-four hours before collapsing,[59] and in his old age, summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path from its cage in the moon.[60] He was skilled in chakra control as he could perform complicated techniques with a single hand seal. He could also quickly absorb and synchronise senjutsuchakra with his own and therefore enter Sage Mode via the Hashirama face on his chest, despite having no prior training in senjutsu.[61] He was also able to distribute his chakra evenly among twenty five wood clones, each still having enough power to pose a threat against the Five Kage.

Although he primarily used ninjutsu, Madara was incredibly skilled in taijutsu. During his confrontation with the Fourth Division, he defeated hundreds of opponents with taijutsu, disarming and dodging attacks from many directions. He could strike with precision before his opponent could react, and overpower individuals twice his size.[62] He was fast enough to attack Naruto who was in Sage Mode,[63] and when he himself was using Sage Mode via the Hashirama face on his chest along with the Kurama chakra he stole from the alliance Shinobi, he could repel all nine Tailed Beasts and dodge a Flying Thunder God Slash via his own sensing abilities combined with sensing abilities that Sage Mode provides.[64] While using Sage Mode, Madara's pain tolerance was high, as he neither flinched from Sasuke stabbing his right arm, the tailed beasts' assault, nor from the loss of his arm.[65]

Body Modifications

A replica of Hashirama's face on Madara's chest.

When Madara was reincarnated, Kabuto Yakushi modified him to be "beyond his physical and combat prime". Also, the abilities he had in his old age were now present in his younger body.[66] In addition, a pale replica of Hashirama's face existed on Madara's left pectoral region,[67] which lets him heal most of his injuries in seconds, and allows him the usage of Wood Release.[68] For severe injuries, like amputation, Madara could replace his limb with material from a White Zetsu's body.[69][70] Stemming from having Hashirama's cells in his body, Madara gained enough life force to not immediately die from having all the tailed beasts and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path extracted from his body.

Madara was an adept sensor, being able to detect others' chakra signature countries away,[32] determine a person's clan and the nature of their kekkei genkai,[75] and even differentiate species.[76] When amplified by Sage Mode, he could even fight whilst blind by locating targets and dodging attacks through his sensory perception.[77]

After transplanting Hashirama's DNA, which was later augmented further by Kabuto, Madara could then use Wood Release, a mixture of water and earth-natured chakra, with his skill being comparable to Hashirama himself.[89] He could create gigantic flowering trees that could render a foe unconscious,[90]wood clone,[91] and wood dragons which could bind targets and drain their chakra.[92] With Hashirama's cells, Madara could also produce roots to connect to and gain limited control of the Ten-Tails.[93] After becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, he was shown using Yin Release to create lightning bolts, and Storm Release – a mixture of water and lightning-natured chakra – to create energy beams that could cut through the Six Paths Rods.[94] Despite the Wood Release's power, Madara does not seem to use it unless he is either toying with his opponent or if he needs it as a last resort to restrain a tailed beast.

Dōjutsu

Sharingan

Madara's Sharingan.

Madara awakened his Sharingan as a child, with one tomoe in both eyes.[10]. By adulthood, his Sharingan was fully developed and active near-constantly. Madara's mastery over the Sharingan surpassed every other member of the Uchiha clan in his natural lifetime. Only he could tell the difference between a shadow or wood clone, and the original due to being so close to Hashirama and knowing him so well.[95][96] With brief eye contact, Madara could place targets under genjutsu and paralyse them or relay information.[97] He could even trap the Nine-Tails, and summon it as a powerful tool in battle. By programming one of his eyes to activate Izanagi after his death, he was able to alter reality and resurrect himself.[73]

Mangekyō Sharingan

Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Madara and his brother Izuna were the first Uchiha known to have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Madara knew about other users' Mangekyō techniques, and was also capable of discerning the mechanics of these techniques with brief observation.[98] After stealing Kakashi Hatake's Mangekyō Sharingan, he was able to use Kamui on himself immediately.[94] With his eyesight deteriorating from overuse, he replaced his original eyes with Izuna's, restoring his vision and gaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.[99] The "straight tomoe" (直巴, Choku Tomoe) of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan granted him fluidity in his movements when fighting.[100]

Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Having awakened both his Mangekyō, Madara could use Susanoo. The ribcage could withstand an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and A's strength,[101][102] and he could produce a legged Susanoo. His Susanoo wielded two to four undulating blades that could be thrown and controlled remotely.[103] He could also use Yasaka Magatama of varying sizes.[104] When fully produced, Madara would hover inside Susanoo to grant him a greater range of movement.[90]

Madara's Complete Body — Susanoo.

After acquiring the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan Madara could "stabilise" Susanoo into its Complete Body form, causing it to resemble a tengu with outer armour that was nearly impenetrable.[105] A secondary pair of arms wielded sheathed katana which could be used to bisect mountains with their mere shockwaves.[106] According to himself, its power was comparable to that of the tailed beasts, and no one was said to have lived to see it a second time.[107]. Madara's Complete Body Susanoo uses its secondary set of arms for attack and defense rather than flight. He was also able to shape his Susanoo into an armour for Kurama, which synergised their abilities.[108]

Rinne Sharingan

Madara's Rinne Sharingan.

As the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and with both of his Rinnegan, Madara approached the moon and awakened a Rinne Sharingan on his forehead, which he could use to reflect the eye onto the moon, allowing him to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and trap everyone beside himself in genjutsu.[119]

With his transformation, Madara obtained Truth-Seeking Balls that floated behind him in a circular formation, which were comprised of the five basic nature transformations and Yin–Yang Release.[124][125] Their chakra is highly malleable and versatile, such that he could use them as high speed projectiles,[126] protective barriers,[127] and various weapons, such as a shakujō.[128] With Yin–Yang Release, the balls could nullify all ninjutsu they came into contact with.[129]

Intelligence

Madara's years of experience on the battlefield honed his strategic ingenuity. He could quickly devise a number of approaches and could switch approaches immediately. The longer he spent against a particular opponent, the less he needed backup tactics, as he could eventually predict what they would do and identify literal or psychological weaknesses to exploit. He could form and verify any theories he comes up with using small details.[94] In addition to his sheer adaptability, Madara was knowledgeable on a large variety of individuals and abilities, and thus could identify techniques when used and react with the most appropriate counter to them.

A researcher, he experimented on and cultivated a clone flower through the Demonic Statue of Outer Path, and from it, he created a life-support system for himself.[130] He had enough medical knowledge to transplant eyes, treat severe injuries, and could replace destroyed body parts with White Zetsu matter.[131]

Part II

Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown

Tobi, acting under Madara's name, moves into the final stages of the Eye of the Moon Plan by initiating a Fourth Shinobi World War. Before the war's start, Kabuto Yakushi approaches Tobi to try and form an alliance. When Tobi asks what will happen if he refuses, Kabuto resurrects Madara to show he knows that Tobi is not the true Madara and forces him to accept.[132] Tobi reluctantly agrees and Kabuto de-summons Madara.[133]

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kabuto decides to use Madara against the Allied Shinobi Forces and uses Mū as a medium to summon him to the battlefield. When he first becomes aware of his surroundings, Madara believes he has been brought back by Nagato's Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique but soon realises that he instead has been brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation. Kabuto speaks through Mū, introduces himself, and explains recent developments in the world and Tobi's current actions. After Kabuto points out that he has restored Madara to a state beyond his prime, Madara tests his body by tearing through the Fourth Division, thinning its numbers. The Fourth Division's initial attempts to stop Madara fail as he protects himself with Susanoo. When the Fifth Kazekage, Third Tsuchikage, and one of Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clones combine efforts, Madara is forced to activate his Rinnegan and absorb the attack.

Realising his enemies were too dangerous for him to hold back to basic ninjutsu and taijutsu, Madara pulls down a meteorite from the atmosphere. When the Kazekage and Tsuchikage successfully stop it, Madara adds a second meteorite to his attack, both of which fall upon and devastate the Fourth Division. With most of the Fourth Division dead, Madara questions Kabuto about just how far off-plan Tobi has gone. Because Kabuto doesn't actually know much about the plan, Madara is left to check things for himself and tries to summon the Nine-Tails, only to discover it's sealed in a jinchūriki, specifically Naruto. Despite knowing the current Naruto was a clone, he decided to delay his plans to test out his new powers, namely, the Wood Release: Nativity of Trees which Naruto's clone barely countered. He then moves in to finish off the remainder of the Fourth Division but is repelled by the arrival of the Fifth Hokage, the Fifth Mizukage, and the Fourth Raikage. The five Kage combine forces against Madara and propel him from the immediate area.

Madara overwhelms the Kage.

By the time he returns, Naruto's shadow clone is gone and the five Kage remain his only opponents. They battle for some time, with Madara equaling and besting the Kage's efforts. When he is hit with the Tsuchikage's Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, Madara's armour is torn away, revealing the implant of Hashirama's face on his chest. Madara laments Hashirama's legacy that these Kage have inherited, having been completely unimpressed by their attacks, particularly those of the Hokage, Hashirama's granddaughter. Madara then creates twenty-five copies of himself and has them each activate their Susanoo.

Madara's soul remains intact.

By nightfall, the Kage are still alive and are able to pool their efforts so successfully that he is nearly sealed. Finally impressed by their display, Madara responds by summoning his perfected Susanoo. Before he can use it to kill the Kage, his Susanoo starts to fade and Madara is engulfed in light. Madara realises that Kabuto has elsewhere released him from the Impure World Reincarnation and his soul is returning to the afterlife. Madara responds by performing the hand seals to rescind the Impure World Reincarnation contract that Kabuto has over him, enabling him to return to his immortal body without further interference from a summoner. Now able to do whatever he likes and bored with the Kage, Madara decides to go find Naruto and reclaim the Nine-Tails. The Kage try to block his escape.

Madara reunites with Obito.

After defeating the five Kage, Madara finds and reunites with Obito while he's engaged in combat with Naruto, Killer B, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy. Madara notices the Demonic Statue undergoing a premature transformation into the Ten-Tails and scolds Obito for being too hasty. After Obito returns Madara's gunbai, Madara creates a wood dragon in an attempt to capture Naruto and Killer B and complete the Ten-Tails. He at one point manages to restrain and drain B of his energy but is overwhelmed by Guy's Daytime Tiger. The Ten-Tails is revived before he can recover, forcing Madara to make do. He and Obito leap onto the Ten-Tails' head and connect themselves to it, granting them control of its actions. Their four opponents put up a resistance but are no match for the Ten-Tails' power. Before the Ten-Tails can finish them off, however, the combined Allied Shinobi Forces arrive to join the fight, deflecting the Ten-Tails' attack.

The Allies join forces to immobilise the Ten-Tails, making it an easy target. The Ten-Tails undergoes a new transformation before their attacks can connect, freeing it and letting it block the incoming attacks. Though the immediate problem is solved, Madara realises there's another issue: the Allies are being coordinated too effectively. He and Obito direct the Ten-Tails to attack the distant Allied HQ, something that takes several Tailed Beast Balls due to their lack of control, which Madara attributes to Obito's failure to revive him correctly. Although the Allies' "brain" is killed, the Allies are given one final battle plan in the time it takes the Ten-Tails to hit its target. Obito and Madara try to thin the Allies' numbers before they can get into position and, when that fails, block against the oncoming attack, but the combined forces manage to break through and separate Obito and Madara from the Ten-Tails. With the Ten-Tails now out of their control they must fight the Alliance directly. Obito eventually disappears to the other dimension, forcing Madara to fend for himself.

During Obito's absence, Madara senses that Hashirama has elsewhere been brought back to life. Excited at the prospect of fighting his rival again, Madara eagerly awaits his arrival. When he arrives, Hashirama sends only a wood clone to face him, being too busy restraining the Ten-Tails. Madara decides to sit out the fight until the real Hashirama is ready. When the wood clone persists, Madara easily defeats it. Madara later senses Obito's return to the battlefield and decides to make use of one of his fail-safes, activating black receivers planted in Obito to force him to finally revive Madara. Obito resists and instead seals the Ten-Tails into himself.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki

Though he's frustrated by this setback, Hashirama is no longer preoccupied, so Madara forces him into a fight. As their battle rages, Hashirama tries to convince Madara to postpone, but Madara repeatedly refuses. Nevertheless, he keeps track of Obito's progress and growing control of the Ten-Tails' power. After Obito's defeat, Madara is restrained by Hashirama's wood dragons and the Alliance moves in to seal him.

Madara is properly revived.

With Obito no longer the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, Madara puts another fail-safe into effect: Black Zetsu. Having been in contact with it since his initial reincarnation, Madara orders Black Zetsu to take control of Obito's body and use the Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. Restored to life, Madara is able to make use of his modified body's full power, to which he breaks free of his restraints. Sasuke attempted to burn Madara with Amaterasu, but Madara was able to absorb the flames in direct contact with his body, but the flames in contact with his cloths remained and burned off his armour. Having died with his real eyes intact and removed from his body, Madara's reincarnated eyes crumble to nothing. To compensate for his blindness, he immobilises Hashirama with black receivers and absorbs his senjutsu chakra, enhancing his sensory skills enough to perceive his enemies and their attacks without the need of sight. He is once again attacked by Sasuke, but instructs Sasuke to stay out of his way since he does not want to kill his own clansman.

Madara impales Sasuke.

Madara goes after the freed tailed beasts so that he can revive the Ten-Tails once more. He attempts to take on all nine at once, failing and losing his right arm in the process. While he regroups, a White Zetsu clone brings him one of his Rinnegan that Obito kept in storage. Madara takes this and one of the Zetsu's arms, allowing him start round two. He summons the Demonic Statue from Obito's body and uses Limbo: Border Jail to repel the nine beasts. Before they can recover, he seals all of them into the Demonic Statue, including those sealed in Naruto and B. While the Statue undergoes its transformation into the Ten-Tails again, Madara asks the Zetsu clone how Black Zetsu is faring with taking his remaining Rinnegan back from Obito. Tobirama Senju, having been reincarnated alongside Hashirama, attacks Madara immediately afterwards, but is restrained after failing to deal any damage. Sasuke also attacks Madara but is immobilised in midair. Having already warned Sasuke once, Madara turns Sasuke's own sword against him and stabs him in the chest.

A reformed Obito steals a portion of Madara's tailed beast chakra.

With nobody left to oppose him, Madara seals the Ten-Tails into himself once its resurrection is complete. Pleased with himself, Madara sets off to regain his other Rinnegan. Along the way he spits out the Benihisago and Kohaku no Jōhei, Obito having used both as part of his premature revival method. When he arrives at Black Zetsu's location, he discovers that Obito has regained control of his body. Madara tries to reason with Obito, reminding him of all they planned and insisting on the impending effectiveness of the Eye of the Moon Plan. Rather than be convinced, Obito stabs Madara and manages to steal fragments of the One-Tail's and Eight-Tails' chakra from him before using Kamui to escape with Naruto.

Madara battling Guy.

While Madara contemplates his next move, he is confronted by Might Guy, a master of taijutsu, which is one of the only effective attacks against Madara in his new form. Guy opens allEight Gates and hits Madara with the Evening Elephant. Madara is taken by surprise and tries to defend himself, but other Allied Shinobi are able to reduce him to a single Truth-Seeking Ball, leaving him wide open. Madara is thrilled at the prospect of such a challenging fight, and visibly battered but not beaten, forcing Guy to use Night Guy. Madara is nearly killed by the attack, which obliterates the entire left side of his body. Thanking Guy for giving him such an entertaining battle, and acknowledging him as a worthy opponent, Madara decides to show him the ultimate respect by killing him instead of letting him succumb to his injuries. However, the Truth-Seeking Ball that Madara launches at Guy is kicked back at him by a revived Naruto, whom Madara notes has somehow gained power similar to his own.

Madara battling Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto sends Madara crashing through the recreation of the Ten-Tails in its giant tree form, a remnant of Obito's earlier battle. A voice speaks to Madara, telling him to absorb it. Madara does so and becomes stronger, but is met with a new problem: Sasuke, also healed from his injuries, has joined forces with Naruto and is also in possession of new abilities. Despite Madara's efforts, he can do nothing against them. Knowing he needs his other Rinnegan if he's to end the fight, Madara steals Kakashi Hatake's Mangekyō Sharingan and uses it to go after Obito. He stops Sakura Haruno from destroying the Rinnegan, to which Obito responds by sending her back to the real world before Madara can kill her. However, Obito himself is too weak to fight back.

Madara activates the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

To give Obito some final words, Madara first congratulates him for removing the Forbidden Individual Curse Tag he had placed on him. He also reveals his role in the death of Rin Nohara, in doing so admitting that he's been manipulating Obito from the start. With that, Madara takes back his Rinnegan, returning to Obito his left Mangekyō Sharingan. Black Zetsu uses Obito's body to perform Kamui and return them to the real world. Naruto and Sasuke move to attack him as soon as Madara appears, so Madara delays them with multiple Chibaku Tensei. Madara gains proximity to the moon, awakening the Rinne Sharingan in the process, and succeeds in casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

The entire world is trapped in a dream and then wrapped into Madara's God: Nativity of a World of Trees. Sasuke is able to save Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Seeing them, Madara announces himself the world's saviour, one who has saved the world from itself by replacing the hells of reality with the heavens of dreams. While he is proclaiming his victory, Black Zetsu stabs him in the back. Black Zetsu reveals that it is not Madara's will, but Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's, and that he has taken advantage of him in order to bring about her revival. Black Zetsu transfers from Obito's body to Madara's, completely covering him and forcing him to start absorbing the chakra of those trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. After dramatically increasing in size, Madara shrinks down until a revived Kaguya is revealed in his stead.

Madara speaks to Hashirama for the last time.

Naruto and Sasuke eventually seal Kaguya in her own dimension, along with Black Zetsu, at which point she reverts into the Ten-Tails and spits out Madara. The Sage of the Six Paths summons Madara and everyone else back to the real world, but he can do nothing to save Madara from his approaching death as a result of having both the tailed beasts and Demonic Statue removed from his body. Madara uses his remaining time speaking to Hashirama, noting that his own dream for peace has died while Hashirama's lives on, and therefore was apparently the better of the two. Hashirama replies that they are still friends despite everything, to which Madara agrees as he dies.

Legacy

After his second death, Madara's greatest lasting influence was in Obito's actions, who used Madara's knowledge to create Akatsuki. Several years later, when Obito began operating under Madara's name, the mere possibility that he was truly Madara was enough to unify the ninja of the Five Great Shinobi Countries and trigger the Fourth Shinobi World War.[133]

Madara's actions during life, and even those subsequent actions of Obito, would end up having disastrous effects for the Uchiha clan. Following Madara's betrayal of Konoha, the Uchiha were entirely isolated from any form of control over Konoha's future, chiefly because of the actions of Tobirama Senju. His actions also played a role in Tobirama's growth, who believed to be Hokage, one must balance between Hashirama's compassion and Madara's ruthlessness. At the time, some Uchiha saw this as proof of what Madara always feared, but the fears subsided with time. Years later, when Obito causes the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, Konoha once again becomes suspicious of the Uchiha and the Uchiha once again feel wronged. This time, however, their discontent does not subside. When the Uchiha began planning to overthrow Konoha, the upper echelons of Konoha's government ordered the Uchiha Clan Downfall.

One silver lining of Madara's legacy is the name of Konohagakure, which he himself came up with.

(To Kurama) "Nine-Tails, you are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence of coalesced energy… energy that once was a single, ultimate form! An unstable force, lacking in intelligence or sapience, you require a guide to show you purpose. That guide is the Uchiha! The tailed beasts are but slaves to those with blessed eyes. Obey!"[135]

(To Obito) "This world is full of things that don't go as you wish. The longer you live the more you realise reality is just made of pain, suffering, and emptiness… Listen… In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars and hatred is born to protect love."[136]

(To Obito before dying for the second time) "Go… until the time… I revive… you are Madara Uchiha."[137]

(To Tobirama) "Hashirama's country was a shameful contradiction… Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man. Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something only humans can do. They're two sides of the same coin. To protect something… another must be sacrificed. That is, other than that of, say a dream world."[138]

(To Obito) "I taught you that in order to control people, you need to use the darkness in their hearts. And if there's no darkness, then you just create it… […] From the bottom of your heart, you felt kindness and sympathy for others. […] Your deep feelings… …for Rin… …your comrades… …the Hokage and the shinobi… All you needed to do was to fall once, and all that would turn around into deep hatred for the world."[139]

(To Naruto) "I just stopped the fate of this world. I freed people from pain, suffering, emptiness. […] Naruto… You're getting in the way of everyone's happiness. Our game ends here. I turned hell into heaven. You should understand… It's already over."[140]